The poorly illustrated crinoid

Abstract

Donovan, S.K. 2011: The poorly illustrated crinoid. Lethaia, Vol. 44, pp. 125–135. Artistic licence is kept under firm control when restoring fossil tetrapods and their natural environments, but the same care is not always applied to reconstructions of ancient invertebrates. Selected renderings of fossil crinoids illustrate grossly inaccurate skeletal geometry and outmoded ideas of palaeoautecology. Together, these combine to give the public an incorrect impression of what a fossil crinoid looked like and how it lived, in some instances inferior to what was possible in the 19th century. The reason why crinoids receive such poor service from artists is, in part, probably due to their being exotic; humans and other tetrapods are a common part of our experience, whereas stalked crinoids, although extant, can only be seen in life with the aid of a research submersible in deep water (>100 m). Crinoids also have a complex endoskeleton that requires care in illustration. They are unusual creatures in an alien environment even at the present day. But echinoderm palaeontologists need to be more energetic in promoting the correct depiction of ancient species. □Crinoidea, illustration, morphology, palaeoenvironments, reconstruction.

The camerate crinoid Scyphocrinites Zenker in the Upper Silurian or Lower Devonian of New Brunswick, Canada

“…Stalked crinoids are typically part of the modern deepwater benthos, but our appreciation of their life orientation and other ecological/paleoecological preferences has been unduly influenced by Nineteenth Century interpretations rather than modern observations (Donovan 2011a). For example, it comes as a surprise to many that some modern stalked crinoids may crawl with their arms (Baumiller and Messing 2007), and the stalkless comatulids can use the same structures for walking or swimming (Meyer and Macurda 1977).…”

Neuromarketing político-ideológico:

“…Así se identifican estados emocionales según estímulo. Fuente: Elaboración propia a partir de Bercea (2013) y Harrell (2019 El neuromarketing mide la atención, emoción, capacidad cognitiva y memoria (Braidot, 2013); a partir de lo cual, puede diseñar y optimizar estrategias comunicacionales, altamente efectivas; sobre la máxima de que el ser humano ante estímulos es un ser irracional (Ariely, 2009), cuyas decisiones son principalmente subconscientes (Zaltman, 2003), mediando sus respuestas biológicas (Klaric, 2012) y el procesamiento cual reflejo de su identidad y normativa colectiva (Donovan, 2014), por lo que si la política se le presenta y comunica como se hace con marcas o productos, a través de factores que lo hagan atractivo, se estaría generando nuevas realidades (Chino, 2020) y subjetividades (Sforzin, 2020), pretendiendo apelar a zonas cerebrales asociadas con la supervivencia y sus emociones, anulando al máximo cualquier reflexión racional, y sosteniendo la comunicación hacia la ciudadanía, dentro de esta irracionalidad.…”

Spineless displays or why inaccurate restorations of fossil invertebrates discredit our museums

“…That is, the crown, bearing the arms, pinnules and tube feet (=feeding organs), are directed down-current (=sub-perpendicular to the sea floor) as a feeding net (rheophile) rather than upwards (=subparallel to the sea floor or as a funnel) to capture falling organic detritus (rheophobe). Unfortunately, rheophobic crinoids are still prevalent in many restorations in books and museums (Donovan 2011) more than a third of a century after Macurda and Meyer's seminal observations.…”

“…Other, less popular groups, however, have not only been largely ignored despite our understanding of them having improved, but even what has been known for many years may be poorly, even incorrectly illustrated or restored. Donovan (2011) recently demonstrated how fossil crinoids have been and continue to be incorrectly illustrated in books, museums and other public displays. There are two ways in which these illustrations are erroneous: either the gross morphology of the crinoids is incorrect; or crinoid palaeoecology and function is poorly interpreted.…”